The UK’s spookiest trees: 9 trees with dark folklore

Living for hundreds or even thousands of years, the trees around us often become entwined with the stories we tell, whether those be myths, legends or accounts of real events.

From ancient yews rooted in shadowy graveyards to grand old oaks growing deep in the forest, every tree has a story. And some stories are the stuff of nightmares. Read on to discover some of the spookiest trees in the UK and how they’ve come to have such dark connections.

1. Chained Oak, Alton, Staffordshire

On a dark night in 1846, the Earl of Shrewsbury was travelling home by carriage in the woods near Alton. According to legend, a woman appeared in the road ahead, forcing the carriage to stop so that she could ask the Earl to spare some coin. But when the Earl dismissed her in cruel fashion, she cursed the man, warning that each time a branch from the old oak tree nearby fell, a member of the Earl’s family would die.

Shortly afterwards, a violent storm brought down one of the tree’s branches, and someone dear to the Earl suddenly and mysteriously passed away. Terrified, he ordered his guards to chain up the branches of the oak, to stop the curse from taking any more victims.

The tree, which became known as the Chained Oak, retains some of its iron bonds to this day, though it has lost many of its original branches. It is thought to be at least 700 years old and was shortlisted for our Tree of the Year competition in 2020.

2. Llangernyw Yew, Llangernyw, North Wales

Looming above the medieval church of St. Digain’s, the Llangernyw Yew is thought to be one of the oldest trees in the UK. It’s here, amongst the weathered gravestones beneath its creeping boughs, where an ancient spirit by the name of Angelystor is said to appear.

Also known as the ‘Recording Angel’, this mysterious figure of Welsh folklore visits twice a year, on July 31 and Halloween, to state the names of the parishioners who will soon die. Legend has it that a tailor named Shôn ap Robert once mocked the idea while drinking in a local pub one Halloween. Challenged by his fellow drinkers to visit the church and discredit the story for good, he made his way into the grounds and approached the church door. To his horror, he heard a deep voice reciting a list of names, of which the first uttered was his own. Sure enough, some time later that year, Shôn ap Robert was dead.

3. Fortingall Yew, Fortingall, Perthshire

With an impressive longevity and knack for self-renewal, yew trees have long been associated with the cycle of life, death and rebirth. It’s thought to be one of several reasons why so many of our old yews stand in churchyards and graveyards.

In the Perthshire village of Fortingall, the yew tree growing in the local parish church is no different. It is, however, remarkable in that it’s perhaps one of the oldest trees in Europe, estimated by some to be up to 5,000 years old (though more likely to be in the region of 2,000-3,000).

Local legend states that Pontius Pilate, fifth Roman governor of Judaea, was born beneath the yew’s branches. Although this is undoubtedly a myth, the tree has certainly experienced much in its lifetime. It’s thought that ritualistic Beltane fires – celebrating the Celtic festival of 1 May – were once lit in the space between the yew’s split trunks. And when the tree was at its largest, during the 18th century, it was routinely part of ‘coffin road’, with funeral processions passing through its central gap, the tree representing a passage to one’s final resting place.

The following poem was written about the Fortingall Yew’s role in laying the dead to rest:

"The funeral yew! The funeral yew!

How many a fond and tearful eye,

Hath hither turned its pensive view,

And through its dark leaf sought the sky."

4. Wilverley Oak, New Forest, Hampshire

A walk amongst the heather-cloaked hills and ancient woodlands of the New Forest is a peaceful affair nowadays. But a few hundred years ago, this spectacular Hampshire landscape was the ideal place for bandits, highwaymen and smugglers transporting illegal goods from the coast.

It’s reputed that the Wilverley Oak, near the now disused Burley to Lymington road, was the spot where these offenders were hung for their crimes, as a gruesome warning to others. This tree was struck by lightning later in its life, shattering the trunk in a way that resembled the shape of a person, giving it the nickname ‘The Naked Man’. Now reduced to a gnarled stump, fenced off and marked by a small plaque, the tree remains a landmark, said to be haunted by the ghost of a highwayman who died beneath its branches.

5. Major Oak, Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire

There are thought to be over 400 ancient oak trees in the iconic woodland of Sherwood Forest. Perhaps none are more famous than the Major Oak.

It’s believed legendary outlaw Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men once sheltered under the branches of this 1,000-year-old giant, helping them evade capture from the formidable Sheriff of Nottingham. And the Major Oak has its fair share of ghostly connections too, with various accounts over the years of strange sightings and mysterious figures appearing in its vicinity. It is often said that Sherwood Forest is one of the most haunted places in the UK.

While that may be up for debate, there can be no doubt that the Major Oak is worthy of a few legends. Sadly, the tree recently died after a long battle with poor health, bringing an end to its historic reign. Its skeletal frame is to be left in the landscape as a natural monument, ensuring its cultural and ecological legacy lives on.

6. The Strangling Oak, Gwynedd, North Wales

Near the beginning of the 15th century, a chieftain named Hywel Sele lived at the large Nannau Estate in North Wales. Sele was cousins with nobleman and military leader Owain Glyndŵr, but the two never got along. On one fateful day while out hunting together, Sele attacked Glyndŵr, who fought back and landed a fatal blow with his sword.

Fearing the repercussions, Glyndŵr is said to have stuffed Sele’s body in a nearby oak, its great trunk split open by a previous lightning strike. In the years afterwards, Sele’s ghost was often spotted in the vicinity of this tree, and no horse would go near it. The strange occurrences did not stop there, with tales of several bodies being found beneath the oak, their necks marked as if strangled by the branches.

The Nannau Strangling Oak, also known as Ceubren yr Ellyll (The Hollow Tree of the Ghost), gained such a reputation that it was eventually cut down. But many other veteran trees remain at Nannau, thriving in and around its fragments of ancient woodland.

7. Kingley Vale Yews, Kingley Vale, West Sussex

In the beautiful South Downs, Kingley Vale is home to one of the most impressive yew forests in Western Europe, containing trees thought to be between 500 and 2,000 years old. Now part of a diverse nature reserve known for its rare chalk grassland, this forest was once the scene of a bloody battle.

Viking raiders landed on the Sussex coast over a millennium ago, aiming to conquer the area. But they were met with fierce resistance from the locals, and hundreds of Vikings were killed in the fighting. While the leaders were allegedly buried in barrows upon a nearby hill, now known as the ‘Devil’s Humps’, those considered to be less important were buried where they fell.

It’s said that Kingley Vale’s great yews mark those shallow graves, and that the ghosts of fallen warriors haunt the forest at night. There are even tales of the yew trees coming alive after dark and walking around the forest.

8. The Hanging Tree of Finlarig Castle

In a secluded wood on the western shores of Loch Tay, an oak tree stands upon a small mound overlooking the ruins of Finlarig Castle. Slowly succumbing to the undergrowth, this small tower was built in 1609 by “Black Duncan” Campbell – seventh Laird of Glenorchy – as one of Clan Campbell’s many strongholds in central Scotland.

Near the castle’s north wall is a stone pit which, according to legend, was used for beheading prisoners of noble heritage. For those of lesser status, there was no such privilege. They were marched up to the oak tree on the mound and strung up in its branches.

Members of Clan Campbell were buried in a mausoleum nearby and the castle was eventually left to decay, leaving a sombre, abandoned site where the oak tree still grows.

9. Old Knobbley, Mistley, Essex

Placing second in our first ever Tree of the Year competition in 2014, Old Knobbley is a pedunculate oak which has become something of a celebrity, thanks to its rather intimidating appearance. Its gaping trunk, peppered with lumpy growths, and enormous 9.6 metre girth are classic features of an ancient tree, and Old Knobbley is certainly that, having survived more than 800 years.

That’s more than enough time to witness the darkest moments in history. During the 17th century, the nearby town of Manningtree was home to Matthew Hopkins, the notorious Witchfinder General. Over the course of several decades, Hopkins made a career out of torturing and extracting false confessions from alleged witches, leading to hundreds of innocent deaths. It’s said that some of the accused hid in the woods, perhaps seeking shelter in Old Knobbley’s twisted branches, and that the spirits of those who died at the hands of Hopkins still haunt the forest.

Help protect our natural heritage

A single tree can offer so much in its lifetime, providing food and shelter for wildlife, offering an island of greenery in cities, and reducing flooding and air pollution in the wider landscape. And by quietly connecting us with nature, trees help us share stories and memories that are important, not just for our history and heritage, but also to us personally.

By planting a tree, standing up for one currently under threat or recording ancient and veteran examples to our Ancient Tree Inventory, you’ll be making sure the UK’s trees can keep on telling their stories long into the future.